Nic Doggett provides an overview of the key things to note on the racing front on Tuesday.
Three points of interest
Dods filly worthy of respect in Pontefract opener
Michael Dods has enjoyed plenty of success at Pontefract down the years, with 61 winners in total at the West Yorkshire venue.
Interestingly, the 12 winners he has sent out there in the last five seasons have resulted in a level stakes profit of +£29.00, with the opening race on Tuesday – the Thank You Richard Hammill Novice Stakes due off at 2.02 - contributing greatly thanks to winners priced at 9/1 and 12/1 in two of the last three renewals.
His 2022 winner Chiellini was making his debut and ran to a fairly useful level, while last year’s winner Close Connection was making his third start in total but his first of the season.
Both winners were geldings winning on heavy going, but it’s a different scenario on Tuesday with Call Me Betty – a speedily-bred Sands Of Mali filly whose dam was a 6f winner at two – taking on eight male rivals on good ground.
Up against her are the penalised winners Strong Warrior and Veblen Good, along with U Sure Do.
The form of the latter's two placed efforts in the summer has worked out well – his York conqueror The Strikin Viking went on to be second in a pair of Group 2s - and the 7 lb he receives from penalised winners Strong Warrior and Veblen Good may prove decisive for all he’s bred to excel once stepped up further in trip (dam was an 11f winner).
Gelded since his last run, U Sure Do can become the sixth gelding to win in seven renewals of a race that is named this year in honour of Richard Hammill who left his positions of clerk of the course and chief operating officer at Pontefract last month.
Trainers to note at Carlisle
There are two meetings still left in Carlisle’s jumps season, with Donald McCain (six winners) and Jonjo and AJ O’Neill (five) fighting it out to be the course’s leading trainer ahead of Ann Hamilton, Olly Murphy and Nick Alexander who all have four wins apiece. The last-named trio all have superior strike-rates and very healthy level stakes returns (+£16.70, +£12.08 and +£47.75 respectively).
Another yard with a good record at the Cumbrian venue is that of David Killahena & Graeme McPherson who have saddled one winner from three runners when travelling up from their Stow-on-the-Wold base in Gloucestershire.
Making the near-500 mile round trip on Tuesday are the editors’ nightmares of IamcElestialgift and Keepkalmandkarryon who both run in the same ownership as Marble Sands, an impressive course winner in November.
IamcElestialgift has presumably not been the easiest to train as he makes his racecourse debut in the Racing TV Maiden Hurdle (2.50) at the age of seven. Sporting a tongue-tie, the market could prove helpful.
That’s also the case for Keepkalmandkarryon who hasn’t shown much in one bumper outing and three qualifying runs in novice/maiden hurdles, finishing sixth on his last three starts.
As a result, it must have been devilishly hard for the handicapper to get a real handle on his level of ability and it may be that a BHA mark of 94 underestimates this son of Sholokhov in the Join Racing TV Now Novices' Limited Handicap Hurdle at 4.25.
Course specialist back in action at Navan
Over in Ireland, there’s a drop in quality from Sunday’s fine Fairyhouse card but a competitive meeting at Navan nonetheless and the Cusack Hotel Group Family Fun Day July 13th Handicap (3.10) is easily the best race on the card.
There are several different Timeform flags on show, with ‘Horses For Courses’ flag Bay Of Sanibel bottom on weight-adjusted-ratings but likely to appreciate a return to the County Meath venue which lies around 35 miles northwest of Dublin. Her course record reads 1-2-1 and the return of cheekpieces looks a positive as she makes her reappearance after a couple of runs in France in the autumn.
Mordor (110), who was a winner on the Flat at Downpatrick before a spell over hurdles this winter, and Saturn (109), who won first-time-out last season and progressed plenty thereafter, are clear at the top of the ratings, but ‘Horse In Focus’ Poetic Sound has a ‘small p’ attached to his rating of 104 after a staying-on win at Bellewstown when last seen; this longer trip should suit.
With recent Dundalk winner Grappa Nonino, who represents ‘Hot Trainer’ Dermot Weld, also in the mix, the feature contest looks a race to savour.
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